Book rack



W. E. HASKIN May 30, 1939.

BOOK BACK 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 4,.1935

INVENTOR FVaZZerEfiQsZ uz W W i, ATTORNEYS WITNESSES 5141/. Z4

May 30', 1939.

W. E. HASKIN BOOK RACK Filed Oct. 4, 19335 4 Shets-Sheet s INVENTOR Walle11? .Haskm WITNESSES BY t ATTORNEYS 2 May 30, 1939.

w. E; HASKIN BOOK RACK Filed Oct. 4, 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet 4- INVENTORWzlferfiiflaskm BY Maw 15%. ATTORNEYS Ga 1 [LL E w 5/ M w Patented May30, 1939 Litdil PATENT FFE BOOK RACK Walter E. Haskin, Flushing, N. Y.,assignor to Pressed & Welded Steel Products Company, Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Application October 4, 1935, Serial No.43,628

6 Claims.

This invention relates to a bookrack, and it is to be understood that inemploying the title Bookrack it is used in its broadest sense to includea book cabinet, book casing or other suitable mount for a plurality ofpivotally supported book holders, adapted to hold or support certaintypes of books, which are adapted to be moved from closed position toopen position and vice versa.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved mounting for aseries of books, which normally supports the books in closed position,but enables any or all of the books to be swung from a closed to openposition for ready use and manipulation while in the holder and readyremoval from the holder when desired.

My invention is adapted for use in connection with entry books such, forexample, as loose-leaf books or binders and, more specifically, of thearcuate prong type, the backs of which are provided with a hinge alongthe longitudinal center line of the back to enable the respective setsof prongs to be moved laterally toward and away from each other to apartly-open or full-open 25 relation, and vice versa, and particularlyrelates to that type of such binders which are constructed with flushends as contrasted with the type con structed with flanged ends.

structurally the invention embodies an improved cabinet or casing forthe book holders and books, improved means for removably coupling thebooks to the book holders enabling the books to be manipulated to apartly-open or fullopen relation of the prongs without removal of thebooks from the holders, all of which will be more fully hereinafterdescribed and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a front perspective view of the com- 40 plete assemblage;

Figure 2 is a rear perspective view of the complete assemblage;

Figure 3 is a top plan view of a book in openposition mounted in a bookholder in locked position with dotted lines indicating the couplingmeans in unlocked position;

Figure 4 is an end view of a book holder and book showing the book inposition for opening, with its prongs in a fully-shut relation;

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4 showing the book fully opened andcoupled to the holder, with its prongs in a half-open relation;

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figures 4 and 5 showing the book stilllocked in the holder, with 5, its prongs in a full-open relation;

Figure 7 is a sectional plan View of the inner body member of the bookholder showing the coupling means in locked position;

Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 7 showing the coupling means inunlocked position;

Figure 9 is a broken longitudinal sectional view on the line 99 ofFigure 3 showing a book coupled to a holder, with dotted linesindicating the coupling means in unlocked position.

My improved bookrack embodies a cabinet or rack A, a series of bookholders B pivotally mounted in the upper portion of the cabinet or rackA, and a series of books C removably connected to the book holders buthaving a novel arrangement of mounting to permit of ready manipulationwhile in the holders or ready removal therefrom.

In referring to part A as a cabinet or rack, it is to be distinctlyunderstood that the invention is not limited to any form or shape ofthis cabinet, as this may be varied to suit the trade, but a specificform is illustrated which is well adapted for the purpose.

Referring to the cabinet or rack A, this may be made of sheet metal orany other suitable material, and comprises ends l-l connected by frontand back members 2 and 3 respectively and by the bottom stringer 4 whichalso acts as a foot rest. In the construction herein illustrated thesemembers I, 2, 3 and 4 are preferably made of tubing.

The top and upper back portions of the cabinet are mainly open to permitof the book holders and books being rotated about a central pivot pointthrough an arc of 180 without obstruction or interference. The top ofthe cabinet has what constitute end-leaves 5-5 for supporting the sidecovers of the next adjacent books when in an open position. The cabinetis preferably mounted on rollers or caster 6 to facilitate mobility fromplace to place.

The backs of the book holders B and the end leaves 5-5 aredisposed at anangle of approximately 30 from the horizontal which is a convenientangle for positioning the books when in open position so that referenceor entries may be conveniently made thereto while the operator is in asitting posture, although it is to be distinctly understood that theangle of disposition of the book holders may be varied as desired. Theangular disposition of the books is ei fective in providing sufficientleg room for an operator in a sitting posture to manipulate the booksand make entries therein.

All of the book holders B are of generally oblong, hollow, box-like formpreferably made of sheet metal. They are pivotally supported on a roundrod 1, which extends. longitudinally through the upper portion of thecabinet and transversely through all the book holders, the pivotalconnection between the book holders and the rod being slightly nearerone end of the book holders than the other, so that the preponderance ofthe Weight of the book holders and books is at one end, specifically theupper and rear end, to insure a complete opening and closing movementdue to gravity as the parts reach the extremes of their movement. Thesaid pivot rod may be removably secured in the cabinet in any approvedmanner to permit of the ready assemblage of the parts and the removaland replacement of the parts as occasion may require.

The books, coupled to the said book holders, when in their normallyclosed position in the cabinet, rest upon a cushion as illustrated inFigure 1 of the drawings. For this purpose is provided a supportingmember 8 extending longitudinally of the cabinet between the ends [-1,upon which is mounted a cushion member IE! preferably of sheet spongerubber, the exposed surface of which contacts the edges of the sidecovers of the books. When the books are in open position one end of thebook holders rests upon the bumpers H properly positioned on the frontmember 2 of the casing A to limit the rotation of the books, as isillustrated in Figure l of the drawings.

All of the book holders B are identical in size and structure so thatthe description of one will apply equally to all. Referring to Figures4, 5, and 6 of the drawings, it will be noted that the body of a holdercomprises two main constituent parts, an outer member l2 and an innermember l3, assembled in telescopic arrangement, both members being ofgenerally channel shaped formation. The outer member l2 has at its sidesand approximately at the center longitudinally but slightly nearer oneend than the other, extruded apertures l4 through which the pivot rod 1passes and which constitute bearings on which the holder is rotated onthe rod. At one end of the outer member i2 is provided a finger grip i5,as shown in Figure 9, which facilitates grasping the holder for openingand closing the book. It will be noted that the longitudinal edges ofthe outer member I2 are folded to an open U shaped formation is adaptedto receive and retain an intermeshing formation on the inner member I3.

The inner member I3 is formed with projecting flanges ll adapted toenter and intermesh with the U shaped folded edges I6 above mentioned sothat the two parts may be telescoped on assemblage. The member l3 hasround apertures at its sides positioned to exactly register with theextruded apertures l4 so that when the pivot rod 1 is passed throughboth members of the holder on assemblage they will be securely held incoupled relation. This arrangement enables the two main members of theholder to be readily assembled or disconnected for the repair orreplacement of parts by dispensing with the use of rivets or otherpermanent coupling means.

Referring to Figures 7, 8 and 9 of the drawings, positioned inside andat one end of the inner body member i3 is an auxiliary structurecomprising a platform I8 with an outer end flange l9 and inner endflange 28. Mounted on the end flange 20 is a bracket 2i supporting afixed fulcrum pin 22. A U shaped swingable operating lever 23 isarranged to fulcrum on the pin 22 and is enabled to swing from side toside by reason of the slots 24 and 24' in the end flange i9 throughwhich it projects. Mounted on the lever 23 is an actuating pin 25projecting through a diagonally positioned slot 26 in the platform 58and through a similar diagonally positioned slot 21 in an angle plate 28mounted to slide on the platform l8. As is illustrated particularly inFigures '7 and 8 of the drawings, the diagonal slot 2? in the angleplate 28 is positioned at the opposite angle to the diagonal slot 26 inthe platform l8 so that, when the swinging of the lever 23 from side toside causes the pin 25 to move in the slots, it exerts a cam action tocause the angle plate 28 to move forwardly or outwardly to an unlockedposition or inwardly to a locked position as the case may be. It is tobe especially noted that one end of each of the diagonal slots 26 and 21is developed into the reverse extensions 26 and 2'! so that when thangle plate 28 is in locked position, as shown particularly in Figure 7,it will not be dislodged by reason of any end thrust exerted by thebook,-

particularly that resulting from the impact of the book on the rubbercushion in the operation of closing.

As illustrated in Figures 4, 5 and 6 of the drawings, a pair of angularslots 29 are juxtaposed in the upward extending leg of the angle plate28. An exactly similar pair of slots 29 are positioned in the fixed endplate 30 attached to the opposite end of the inner member I3.

A book or lose-leaf binder of the arcuate prong type with flush ends isillustrated in Figure 9 of the drawings. In order to provide couplingmeans for engagement with the book holder B, a pair of rods 3|,illustrated in Figure 3, are positioned in the lower corners of thebinder back, as clearly shown in Figure 4. These rods are permanentlyattached to the binder and are arranged to project outwardly throughapertures in the flush ends 32 and extend slightly beyond the same. Therods preferably have rounded ends for ready engagement with therespective slots. For the purpose of separating the prongs 33 of abinder of the type described, a hinge 34 extending longitudinally of thebinder at the center of the back is provided and the hinge action isgoverned by integral locking means controlled by the latch 35. The sidecovers 36 are attached to the binder back by the hinges 31.

In the operation of the book holder the swing- 1 able operating lever 23is swung to the position shown in Figure 8 of the drawings, therebyprojecting the angle plate 28 outwardly a sufiicient distance to allowclearance at one end for the protruding rods 3! of a book or binder, asclearly indicated by the dotted lines in Figure 9 of the drawings. Abook is now entered in the holder, the protruding ends of the rods 31being first entered in the slots 29 in the fixed plate 383 at the rearend of the holder, as illustrated in Figure 9. The swingable operatinglever 23 is thereupon swung to the opposite hand, or to the positionshown in Figure '7 of the drawings, causing the angle plate 28 to beprojected inwardly or from the position shown by the dotted lines tothat shown by the solid lines in Figure 9. The slots 29 of the angleplate engage the outwardly protruding ends of the rods 3| and the bookthereby becomes securely coupled to the holder and enabled to be rotatedto a closed position inside the cabinet.

If it is desired to open the book for reference or posting, the sidecovers 36 are laid over the backs of the adjacent book holders 38 and38' and the book is thereby supported in position for use. As ischaracteristic of the type of armate prong binders herein illustrated,there is a certain degree of what is termed roll to the leaves which isdetrimental to'ready posting of entries when the book is held, by itsintegral locking means, in the fully-shut relation of the prongs, asshown in Figure 4. To overcome this disadvantage and facilitate theposting of entries, binders of this type are provided with means toseparate the prongs laterally a given distance. The arcuate prongs,3 3are formed to a radius of which the longitudinal hinge 34 is the center.By releasing the locking means con-. trolled by the latch 35, theoperator is enabled to adjust the binder in the holder to anintermediate or half-open relation of the prongs, as is particularlyillustrated in Figure of the drawings, which is the preferred postingposition and serves to eliminate the roll above mentioned. It is to benoted that in this operation the longitudinal hinge 34 has been elevatedfrom a position substantially in the same horizontal plane with thecoupling rods 3|, as shown in Figure 4, to a position above the saidrods and that the respective rods 3| have been brought towards eachother but in the same horizontal plane, the angular slots 29 and 29'having been adapted to permit of such horizontal movement of the rods3|.

If it is desired to remove an account from the binder or insert onetherein, by releasing the integral locking means controlled by the latch35, the operator is enabled to further adjust the binder in the holderto a full-open relation of the prongs, as particularly illustrated inFigure 6 of the drawings. It is to be noted that the side covers 36 ofthe binder are resting upon and are supported by the backs of theadjacent book holders 38 and 38. By grasping the prongs 33 and exertingan upward pull thereon, the operator is enabled to create a gap betweenthe ends of the respective sets of prongs so that the account may beremoved or inserted. In this operation the hinges 3'! act as pivotsabout which the two sections of the back of the binder are rotated. Itwill be clearly seen that the longitudinal hinge 34 has been elevatedstill further in a vertical plane and that the coupling rods 3! havelikewise been elevated and drawn obliquely still further towards eachother than as shown in the half-open relation of the prongs, the angularslots 29 and 23' having been adapted to permit of such obliquely upwardand converging movement of the rods 3|.

If it is desired to restore the book to its normally closed position inthe cabinet, the operator grasps and raises the side covers 36. Thismovement of the side covers restores the binder to a fully-shut relationof the prongs so that the holder can thereupon be rotated on its pivotand the book returned to the cabinet.

While I have illustrated what I believe to be the preferred embodimentof my invention, it is obvious that various changes may be made in thegeneral form and arrangement of the parts without departing from thespirit of the invention, hence I do not limit myself to the specificdetails set forth but consider myself at liberty to make such changesand alterations as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of theappended claims.

I claim:

1. A book rack, including a support, a pivot rod mounted on the support,a book holder pivotally mounted between its ends on the rod, said bookholder comprising outer and inner body members assembled in telescopicarrangement forming a hollow box-like structure held in coupled relationby the said rod passing transversely through both of said members.

2. In combination, a book holder comprising outer and inner body membersassembled in tel scopic arrangement forming a hollow box-like structure,a rod passing transversely through both of said members intermediate theends thereof and holding them in coupled relationship, a book, integralprojecting coupling devices on each of the opposite ends of the book,and slotted coupling means at the ends of the book holder 'operativelyengaging the said devices whereby the book is securely coupled to thholder.

3. A device of the character described, including a book holder having aflange fixed at one end and a flange carrying element movably mounted atthe other end thereof, each of said flanges having coupling slotstherein, a book having integral coupling projections at the ends thereofadapted to enter the said slots for coupling engagement, a swingableoperating lever fulcrumed at one end of the book holder, a fixed platein the book holder having a diagonal slot therein, said movable flangecarrying element also having a diagonal slot therein but at an oppositeangle to the last mentioned slot, an actuating pin fixed to the saidlever and projecting through both the said diagonal slots whereby theswinging movement of the lever exerts cam action on the flange carryingelement to cause the same to move inwardly and outwardly for couplingengagement with a book in the holder, the said diagonal slots being atone end extended in the reverse obliquity whereby when the actuating pinreaches the extreme of its movement in the slots the flange carryingelement Will be locked against accidental movement.

4. In combination, a binder holder, an arcuate prong hinged back looseleaf binder having flush ends normally coupled to the holder in a closedposition and having a pair of rods integral with and positioned at theouter corners of the back of the binder extending therethroughlongitudinally and projecting beyond the ends thereof, a fixed rigidvertical flange at one end of the holder, a movable element bearing arigid vertical flange at the opposite end of the holder said flangeseach having a pair of similar oppositely disposed angular slots thereinfor engaging the ends of the rods whereby the binder is securely coupledto the holder in any position thereof, the said angular slots permittingthe manipulation of the binder in the holder to the full open relationof the prongs, and means for shifting said movable element betweencoupled position with the slots engaging the ends of the rods anduncoupled position with the slots free from engagement with the rods.

5. In combination with a hollow binder holder an arcuate prong flush endtype loose leaf binder having a pair of integral coupling projectionspositioned at the outer corners of each of the opposite ends of the backthereof, a fixed rigid vertical flange at one end of the binder holderand a movable element carrying a rigid vertical flange at the oppositeend thereof, said flanges each having a pair of similar slots therein toreceive the said projections and securely couple the binder to theholder in any position of the binder, said binder having a hinged backwhereby the binder may be manipulated in the holder to sepa rate theprongs laterally by movement of the hinged back causing the projectionsto move in the slots, and means for shifting the said movable elementbetween coupled position with the slots in the flange engaging theprojections and uncoupled position with the slots in the flange freefrom engagement with the projections.

6. A device of the character described including a hollow binder holder,a visible loose leaf binder of the flush end arcuate prong type withlongitudinal center hinge in the back having a pair of coupling rodspositioned at the outer corners of and extending through the back of thebinder and integral therewith and projecting beyond the ends thereof, arigid vertical flange fixed at one end of the binder holder, a movableelement carrying a rigid vertical flange at the oppowhen moved in eitherpivotal direction, and means, 10

mounted on said binder holder for shifting the movable element betweencoupled position with the slots of the flange engaging the projectingrods and uncoupled position with the slots of the flange free fromengagement with the pro- 15 jecting rods.

WALTER E. HASKIN.

